Pool Cover Systems

Our blankets are 100% Australian Made “Smart Approved Watermark” endorsed materials. These covers are designed and manufactured to withstand the harsh UV conditions, delivering superior performance with peace of mind provided by our PCS10 blanket range – 10 Year pro-rata Warrenty. Pool Cover Systems pool blankets are enhanced with advanced UV inhibitors, tougheners and antioxidants, providing greater UV and chemical resistance than competitive pool blankets. The unique bubble profile provides an even distribution of material with no weak spots.

Blanket Colour: Light Vs Dark

Pool Cover Systems solar pool blanket material is available in blue, green and silver/blue colours. Whilst the blankets have been coloured they are translucent which means that if you placed your hand on the underside of the material you can see the outline of your hand through the material.

A light coloured transparent solar blanket is designed to allow short wavelength solar energy to pass easily through its surface. This heat, which radiates at longer wavelengths, is then maintained under the surface due to the special design of the blanket. This means warmer water for longer.

Like the tint on car/household windows, dark colours filter out solar energy absorption by as much as 40%, lighter coloured transparent covers allow approx 35% more energy transmission Dark materials rely on the build up of temperature on the product surface to heat up the mass beneath whereby lighter coloured transparent covers allow maximum solar energy i.e. “heat” to penetrate through and into the pool water

The CSIRO Division of Mechanical Engineering concluded in their Technical Report No 12/A/3 that a transparent pool cover will increase pool temperatures by ‘about 7°C’. This research was later independently confirmed by scientists at Rheem Australia’s Rydalmere Research Centre (NSW Australia). Using identical insulated above-ground pools complete with filters and pumps using computer-linked sensors to monitor temperatures in the pools with and without blankets, this controlled trial confirmed a temperature increase of over 7°C in the pool with a transparent bubble cover. The Rheem trial also compared the performance of lighter-coloured bubble blankets against darker-coloured material. The results clearly showed that lighter-coloured bubble blankets consistently heated the pool water to a higher temperature than darker bubble material in controlled tests in realistic “full size” pool tests

Is Thicker Material Better?

From research and development tests, blankets thicker than 500um prove to be too heavy and rigid in domestic pools and as a result consumers tend to avoid products that are not light and relatively easy to handle. Some products in the market which claim 500um or greater are only as strong as a 250um product because the competitive material has not been distributed evenly resulting in weak spots in the bubble profile.

Pool Cover Systems have access to a range of density alternatives that are commensurate with lifespan, we therefore can offer a range of products that balance blanket cost against longevity.